What Happened During Trump’s N. Carolina Rally Was A Hate Crime

It’s not uncommon for Trump’s fans to assault protesters. But this particular supporter not only punched a guy, he also threatened to kill him – on national television.

The FBI defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

Later, when the crew from newsmagazine "Inside Edition" tracked down McGraw leaving the rally, he casually threatened to kill Jones.

“You bet I liked it. Knocking the hell out of that big mouth," McGraw said.

When asked the reason he punched the protester, McGraw told "Inside Edition," "Number one, we don’t know if he’s ISIS."

This answer alone suggests that McGraw’s actions were clearly motivated by Islamophobia and racial bias.

"We don’t know who he is, but we know he’s not acting like an American," McGraw went on. "The next time we see him, we might have to kill him."

And this answer alone proves this guy is a potential threat to the safety of people around him.

Threatening to kill people during rallies is bad enough. Trump's fans have been doing that for quite sometime now. But the fact that Trump's supporters no longer blink twice before issuing death threats on national television is scary.

McGraw has been charged with assault and disorderly conduct. But his words and actions show he should’ve been charged with hate crime.